Question: Will I gain energy and many calories if I have bananas as breakfast?

Posted on | July 20, 2010 | 2 Comments

I was recently asked from a Health Guru reader - Will I gain energy and many calories if I have bananas as breakfast? Here’s my response:

Bananas are a great source of energy to give you that immediate energy boost. Research has proven that just two bananas provides sufficient energy for a strenuous 90 minute work out.

Here are more nutrition facts for bananas:

1 x Medium Banana

Banana

 

Energy                                   105 Calories

Total Fat                                    0.4 g

Total Carbohydrates           77 g

            Dietary Fibre               3.1 g

            Sugars                             14.4 g

Protein                                          1.3 g

Bananas are 92% carbohydrates. They contain three natural sugars in their simplest forms: glucose, sucrose and fructose which makes them easy to digest and absorb into your bloodstream rapidly in order to give the instant energy needed for your activities.

In saying that, before you decide to grab that second or more serving of bananas, it is important to know your daily energy requirement.  Daily energy requirement is based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and your daily activities.

A good rough estimate of daily energy requirement is:  

Female  - Between 1000-1200 Calories

Male – Between 1200-1500 Calories

Therefore, even if you have 2 bananas for breakfast, it is around 15-20% of your daily energy requirement. Which is a very reasonable amount of calories for a breakfast.  However, I wouldn’t recommend to eat only bananas for breakfast. They are a great “pick me up” snack but not the best breakfast choice if eaten on its own.

Have you ever experienced this?. You had breakfast but after 1 to 2 hours you start to get hungry and irritable. You look at your watch, lunch is still a good 2 -3 hours away. By the time you head out for lunch, you are starving and eat whatever is in sight?  There is a way to fix this problem – consume more protein.

I mentioned earlier that bananas are a great instant energy source for our body because they turn into sugar rapidly. For the very same reason, the sugar released from bananas is absorbed by your body quickly causing a resulting sharp drop in blood sugar, making you feel hungry after they are absorbed   (p.s You can read more on Glycemic Index to find out more)

So what is a healthy breakfast choice?

A healthy breakfast should contain some protein and some fibre. Protein can come from eggs, dairy, low fat meats or beans. Fibre can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits.   You can incorporate bananas with other food options to make it into a great breakfast. 

These are what I recommend:

Banana Ommelette  (A banana with 2 eggs).   Total Calories ~ 275 Cal (16g Protein)

A Banana with a cup of Marigold low fat yogurt or non-fat yogurt.  Total Calories ~ 205 to 230 Cal (6g Protein)

A Banana with a bowl of Quaker Oats Cereal.  Total Calories ~ 255 Cal (6g Protein)

Banana with a bowl of whole grain cereal with skimmed milk or 1% low fat milk.  Total Calories ~ 305 Cal (15g Protein)

Make sure you plan ahead for your breakfast as its the most important meal of the day and make it a protein dominant one if possible. Studies has shown that students do better in school and adults perform better at work with a healthy wholesome breakfast.

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